Facts of Life
by Ailetoile
Summary: One shot. SasuNaru friendship mirror fic. Can be read as more if you wish. Sometimes, hatred can have many facets, and sometimes, the facts of life are not absolute.


Naruto hates Sasuke. It is as much a fact of life as gravity. Just as what goes up must come down, so will Naruto always hate his rival. Simple. Even a blonde dunce can understand this.  
  
Sasuke hates Naruto. It is as much a fact of life as the eternal struggle between day and night. Just as dark and light will eternally battle for dominance, so will Sasuke always despise Naruto. Easy. Even an emotionally scarred boy can understand this.  
  
Naruto has hated Sasuke since the moment they met each other in the academy. He has found a strange comfort in his attention-whoring ways and Sasuke, with his cold glares and his reticent ways is somehow a threat to that peace. He still hasn't quite forgiven Iruka-sensei for so cheerfully putting them on the same team.  
  
Sasuke has hated Naruto since the little brat took it into his head to begin competing with him in everything. He has found a strange comfort in his self-imposed isolation and Naruto, with his obnoxious mouth and his constant, clumsy cries for attention and acknowledgement jeopardizes that tenuous balance. He would have mentally added Iruka-sensei to the list of people he hates in retribution for assigning Naruto to his team if the man weren't already on it.  
  
Naruto simply wants to beat Sasuke. Just once, he wants to throw Sasuke-the- bastard off of his pedestal and show him how it feels to be left in the dust. How it feels to be something other than the best.  
  
Sasuke simply wants to become stronger. Honestly, he wouldn't mind seeing Naruto-the-dobe get a taste of reality to make him see what life is like for those who don't lead such a charmed existence. How it feels to live in a world of pain and betrayal.  
  
Naruto cannot understand Sasuke. It never ceases to amaze him that Sasuke, the boy who has everything Naruto wants, can be so unappreciative and distant. If Naruto were in Sasuke's place, he knows that HE would appreciate everything he has.  
  
Sasuke cannot understand Naruto. It irritates him to no end the way Naruto, the boy without a damned care in the world, can never take anything besides his silly dream of becoming Hokage seriously. If Sasuke were in Naruto's place, he imagines that he would - Well, Sasuke never thinks about childish things like that.  
  
Naruto would have taken Haku's needles for Sasuke. He knows this as fact, without the slightest hesitation. He tells himself that it is because they are teammates, and teammates look out for one another. What other reason could there possibly be?  
  
Sasuke would give up everything all over again to save Naruto. Although he would die before admitting it, there is no doubt in his mind. He tells himself that it is because Naruto is better company than a stupid fawning girl. Such a reason sounds ridiculously pathetic, even to him.  
  
Naruto cannot help but worry at the sudden changes Sasuke has been undergoing. Both physically and personality-wise, Sasuke has been deteriorating rapidly. He wonders when compassion replaced envy and cannot find an answer.  
  
Sasuke cannot help but feel chagrin at the unrest he is causing Naruto. Although his mind is often clouded with an unfamiliar hatred, he can sometimes see clearly enough to be contrite. On those occasions, he wonders when camaraderie replaced disgust and cannot quite pinpoint the time.  
  
Naruto hates Sasuke. It's a fact of life. Unyielding. Underneath that, though, lies a growing admiration of his rival. He fights the seeds of friendship as vehemently as he would any enemy.  
  
Sasuke hates Naruto. It's a fact of life. Unchanging. Somehow, though, an ever-increasing sense of respect has wormed its way into his conscious. He buries himself deeper inside his fortress of walls and wills his thawing heart to freeze again.  
  
Naruto wonders how Sasuke manages to make him feel like he could fly. How Sasuke helps him harness all of his boundless energy into something productive. All it takes is the smallest hope of his teammate's approval.  
  
Sasuke wonders how Naruto manages to bring light to his darkness. How Naruto helps him see past all of the evils that haunt him and catch a glimpse of what life should be. All it takes is the blonde's proximity.  
  
Naruto wonders when the facts of life became so unreliable.  
  
Sasuke wonders when the facts of life became so flexible.  
  
Sometimes, it is funny how comfortable hatred can be. 


End file.
